Ramallah, MINA – PLO Executive Committee Member Hanan Ashrawi Monday called on the government of Finland to recognize Palestine in the immediate future and described such a move as “a positive and necessary contribution towards a just peace.”

She met with Head of the Representative Office of Finland, Ambassador Anna-Kaisa Heikkinen, at the PLO Headquarters in Ramallah, where they reviewed Palestinian-Finnish relations and underscored the importance of expanding their cooperation in different areas of mutual interest, acording to Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Regarding recent political developments, Ashrawi raised the issue of US President Donald Trump’s outrageous decision declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Nakba Day and to cut funding to UNRWA.

“The U.S. has certainly disqualified itself as a peace broker by becoming party to the conflict. By being complicit in such unilateral moves, the U.S. is ensuring that the chances for an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital are quickly slipping away,” said Ashrawi in a statement.

Ashrawi briefed Ambassador Heikkinen on the latest Israeli violations against Palestinians, primarily the revocation of the IDs of Palestinian Jerusalemites and the illegal annexation of Palestinian land, as well as its home demolitions and the escalation of unlawful settlement activities in and around Jerusalem.

In that context, she called on the European Union to play an urgent and decisive political role to hold Israel to account for its crimes that are in direct breach of international law and international humanitarian law.

The two sides also reviewed the emergence of populism, racism and xenophobia and its negative and grave impact on peace and stability in the Middle East and the Palestinian nonviolent struggle for freedom and self-determination.

In addition, Ashrawi discussed the Palestine National Council’s upcoming meeting in April and reaffirmed the imperative of Palestinian unity. She stressed the importance of elections and the need to rejuvenate and reform the political system and institutions in Palestine.

The meeting concluded with a brief discussion on enabling positive participation and engagement among youth and women to build an inclusive and democratic system. (T/RS5/RS1)